Collision
by allblue95
Summary: Who would have thought that colliding with a pirate in the street would lead to something much more exciting than repairing engines? And far more dangerous. Law/oc
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

' Where is it? It should be around here somewhere.'

"There you are!"

I plucked the screwdriver up from underneath the sofa. ' How in hell did it get there?' I shrugged my shoulders.

" Oh well. At least I found it."

I put it in my backpack, that I carry almost everywhere, and looked at the watch only to let out a squeal as I was suddenly short on time.

" Shit! Now I'll be late again. Why am I always late? Fez is going to kill me. Now where is my shoe?"

I started running around the apartment looking for my second boot that I finally found beneath the covers of my bed, and put it on with a little trouble. ' Out of all places.' Then I half ran out my apartment door that looks like it's going to fall apart every time you close it. It also seems to be well within hearing distance of my neighbor that I think LIKES to yell at people, and this morning was no different. He want's to yell the crap out of me, but I don't have time for him, so I end up ignoring him completely. Which just pisses him of more.

" Oi lady! Keep it down, some of us are trying to sleep here! "

I rolled my eyes as I ran past him, not bothering to listen to the angry curses sent my way.

" Good morning to you too, Mr Lotach! "

Instead of stopping to hear his reply I went out the front door and once on the street broke out into a run towards the workshop.

" Shit, shit, shi- Whoa!"

My string of curses was cut of as I collided with something solid as I turned a corner. I fell to the ground and skidded a good few meters, feeling the gravel rip at my right arm and leg, scraping up my entire right side. I slowly sat up, wincing, and heard footsteps coming closer to finally stop in front of me, and they fell to their knees beside me.

" Miss, are you okay? I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going. You took quite a nasty fall there. "

I looked up only to see a pair of dark eyes staring back.

" I'm the one that should apologize, I ran straight into you."

I stopped moving to look at him properly, and I instantly recognized him.

" I never thought I would see the Surgeon of death in this town. What are you doing here?"

Trafalgar Law chuckled and I answered it with a playful smile.

" It's nice to meet someone with a bit of guts. My ship is damaged, much like yourself."

" Yeah, but I've been through worse. Though maybe I should get these checked out before I get to work. I can't work looking like this. "

I pointed at the wounds.

" Good thing it was me you ran into then. Would you mind coming with me to my ship? There I could check your wounds properly, and give you some anesthesia if necessary. "

He smiled as I just stared.

" You're a doctor? Well that's convenient. So that's why they call you the Surgeon of death! That explains everything. "

I scratched the back of my head sheepishly and returned the smile as he helped me up.

" Can you walk? "

" Yeah I think so. Try me. "

He let go of my shoulders for a second, only to have to catch me again as I nearly fell to the ground, my whole world spinning.

" Okay scratch that plan. Hold this please. "

He put the huge sword in my hands and then picked me up bridal style, careful to avoid my wounds, and started for the harbor. I blushed as I could feel the contours of his chest against my side, and at how close he suddenly was.

" What are you doing? "

" Carrying you of course. You can't walk on your own, so I'm carrying you. If that is fine with you, Miss...?"

" Kiko. And it's very fine with me, thank you, but you really shouldn't bother. "

"Oh? Tell me, why would I leave a beautiful lady like yourself bleeding on the street? Things like that would give me a bad reputation, you know. "

I let out a small laugh.

" But you already have a bad reputation! You're a pirate, it comes in a package deal."

" Ah, but it would give me a different reputation, wouldn't you agree? "

He looked down at me with a triumphant smile on his face.

" Eh...well, I...I guess."

I couldn't help but stutter the last part. ' Damn voice.'

" Were here Miss Kiko. "

" Please, just Kiko, no 'Miss'. It sounds so formal. "

Law smiled and raised an eyebrow but nodded.

" If you say so. Now, let's get you patched up. "

He jumped out on a small platform that stuck up slightly from the water, opened a hatch and climbed in, me still in his arms.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Hello dear readers! Sorry about the late update. I would like to thank the reviewers and especially Akalilly who helped me through an annoying dilemma that was important for this story, Thank You! ^^ Now, on with the story.

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She looked around in the room that looked very much like some sort of sick-bay. There was medical tools hanging on the walls and several beds lined up beside each other. In the cabinets was different medications and dried herbs in jars, some more weird-looking than the other. ' _what the hell is all this? _'

Kiko winced as she looked down at her right arm that was now dripping with blood.

" It looks worse than it actually is. " Law said as he entered the room.

" I brought you a clean shirt. Yours is ruined. " He put a black and yellow T-shirt on the bed beside her. She looked down and saw that the entire right side was almost completely tattered, only being kept together by a few threads. Luckily it still covered everything needed to be covered, but that didn't stop the small blush from creeping onto Kiko's face.

" Thank you, but you really didn't have to. "

" Nonsense. Now, let's start with the side of your face." He sat down on a stool in front of her and started to clean the scrapes on her jaw and cheek. She cringed away as it stung, but then she felt a strong hand grip the other side of her head in a secure grip.

" Hold still, Kiko, or ill never be finished. " After a few more dabs the wound on her face was clean.

" There's no point to put a bandage on that, it will heal just fine anyway. Your arm however, will need deeper cleaning. Ill have to give you a shot for the pain. " He moved to the other side of the room and then returned with a syringe. As he stuck the needle in her arm with skilled precision he studied her face with questioning eyes.

" Why were you running? When you bumped into me. "

" I was late for work, still am. I'm probably going to get in trouble for it too since I'm almost always late. Ah well, I got a decent excuse at least." She laughed a little as the pain in her arm had now vanished completely. Law started to clean the scratches on her arm that was much deeper than the ones in her face.

" What kind of work do you do, Kiko? "

" I guess you could call me a mechanic. I mainly repair engines of different sorts, but also do the other basic mechanic stuff, like repairing hulls and stuff like that. " Law raised an eyebrow slightly as a fraction of a smirk was visible.

" Is that so? " It was nothing more than a silent whisper.

" What did you say? "

" Oh nothing, nothing at all. Your arm is finished. " He attached the gauze around her arm and then looked her ribcage.

" I'll have to cut up a bit of your shirt to be able to clean the wound properly, but nothing major, just the threads at the side. It that okay with you? " She just shrugged her shoulders.

" Sure, as long as it's not the front. " Law chuckled a little.

" Of course not. " He took a scalpel, cut of the threads at the side of the shirt that now clung to her skin and peeled it to the side. Then he proceeded with her side as he had with her arm and then wrapped gauze around her waist and lower ribcage.

" Your leg is going to hurt, even with the anesthesia, but I need you to keep completely still. Ok? I'll try to do it as quick as possible. " She could hear the steel hidden beneath the command and nodded as she prepared for the pain. She gritted her teeth as she could feel the gravel move in the wound and looked away from it. Her leg suddenly twitched slightly as she lost control over it and she instantly felt Law grip at her leg tightly, keeping it still. A few minutes later the gauze was in place and Law stood by the sink washing his hands.

" Thank you very much for your help! I guess I owe you one, though I don't know how to repay it..." Kiko looked down at her hands, twiddling absentmindedly with her bracelet, Law just smiled at her.

" Don't mention it. But now that I think of it, maybe you could take a look at the ships engine, it's been complaining for a while and we can't seem to figure out why." He furrowed his eyebrows as he crossed his arms over his chest,seemingly deep in thought. Kiko immediately perked up and smiled.

" That I can do, but you should bring it to the shipyard then. It's not far, you can probably see it from your ship actually. Just follow the big sign that says 'Shipyard', it's just down the street. In fact, I could show you!" But in her excitement she forgot that her leg was also injured and almost toppled over as she jumped to the floor. Then she felt strong arms steady her for the second time that day, and Law chuckled.

" Easy there, you're not ready to be jumping around just yet. How about I take you home first so you can get on some new clothes and rest a bit? " Kiko managed to control the blush that threatened to invade her cheeks.

" Yeah, that's probably a good idea."

" Good. I'll wait outside the door while you change shirt. " He pointed at the black and yellow T-shirt beside her and then stepped outside to give her some privacy. She sat back down on the bed and then started to carefully peel of her tank top. ' _why oh why did i have to wear shorts and a tank top? It's not even that warm outside' . S_he threw it in a garbage bag by the wall, it was beyond repair, and pulled on the T-shirt given to her that smelled clean and slightly of...something else. She couldn't put her finger on it. Whatever it was it smelled nice. She slowly put her feet back on the floor, took a deep breath, and stood up. To her amazement she didn't fall over, and took several careful steps towards the door and opened it. When Law turned around and saw her walking on her own he smiled.

" You ready? " Kiko nodded and returned the smile, and together they made their way of the ship, their target being Kiko's apartment and ultimately the shipyard.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for all the wonderful reviews and feedback. Please enjoy the chapter!^^

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Chapter 3

Not completely without trouble they finally reached Kiko's apartment. But before they went through the door to the tall building Kiko stopped Law.

" Remember to walk quietly, otherwise my neighbor will notice us and either jump to conclusions or ask annoying questions, possibly both. "

" I have no trouble moving quietly but I think you might have problem doing that. " He said pointing at her leg.

" Damn, didn't think about that." She tapped her chin, seemingly deep in thought until she felt her feet lift from the ground for the second time that day and a quiet chuckle in her ear. Law had once again picked her up and was already striding through the corridor, almost completely inaudible. When they reached her door she unlocked it and Law stepped inside and let her down, but not before closing the door gently. When he turned around however, Kiko had already disappeared into the apartment, and he heard her shout from another room.

" Please make yourself at home! I'm sorry about the mess but it gets that way when you live alone and rarely have visitors. " Law stepped into what looked like a living room. There was a black furred carpet on the floor, a lamp in the far right corner, and a sofa and a table in the middle of the room. The table was almost completely covered in pieces from an engine, all of them lined up tidily. At least he guessed they were from an engine. He sat down in the sofa and leaned closer to the table, taking a closer look at the pieces on it. In the background he could hear Kiko bustling around the apartment, most probably searching for something by the sounds of it.

_'Why can I never find anything in this stupid apartment?' _Kiko was running, or maybe limping is a better word for it, around her apartment on the hunt for a pair of normal trousers. Since the climate on the island almost always was warm she rarely used anything but shorts.

" Aha!" She lifted a pair of pants into the air just to see that they were covered with holes, oil and old paint. She dropped them to the ground and gave up her hunt and limped to the bathroom. Once there she looked at her reflection in the mirror. The scrapes in her face looked clean and her arm and leg along with her ribcage looked neatly bandaged. _'Skills.'_ She left the mirror alone and changed into a new pair of black shorts. She pondered a moment on where she could find a clean shirt. _'Shit! Why was I born with such a lousy memory?'_ She had forgotten to wash. She didn't own that much clothes and the ones she had were all dirty, she was supposed to clean them today but in her morning rush she forgot all about them. She went out to find Law investigating the engine parts on her living room table.

" Ehm, is it ok if I borrow this until tomorrow? I forgot to put my other clothes in the washer this morning. " Law looked up at her blushing face, clearly amused, but nodded.

" It's fine, keep it. " He stood up and gestured to the door.

"You ready? "

" Yeah. Let's go. " She put on her sandals again and moved to walk out the door, but once again found herself above ground. He sat her down outside the front door of the building.

" Is this something I should get used to? " He chuckled and smiled at her as they started to walk.

" That's probably not such a good idea since me and my crew will be leaving as soon as the ship is repaired. "

" Oh. " After a few minutes they saw the outline of a huge building, the shipyard, and Kiko stopped to point at it.

" That's where I work, bring the ship there. But depending on the damage it might take up to one to two weeks to get it fixed, at least. "

"Whatever you say. " He nodded in approval before turning to her, a look of curiosity on his face.

" Kiko, do you like it there? The shipyard I mean, do you like your work? " Kiko looked at him, taken by surprise at the sudden question. Finally she just shrugged and shuffled her feet slightly.

" I guess. I mean, it could be worse. Don't get me wrong, I love working with engines and machines but the environment and the supervisors could be better. "

" I see. " Law looked like he had trouble keeping a smile from entering his face.

" Why do you ask? "

" Oh no reason, just curious. I'll go back to the ship and tell my crew to move it. " Kiko nodded.

" Ok, I have some explaining to do anyway as to why I'm late. When you get there, just tell them you've talked to me and they should let you in. "

" Ok, I'll see you soon then. " And with that he turned and strolled casually down the street towards his ship. Kiko watched him walk away, she couldn't help feeling that he was planning something. _'Oh well, pirates. ' _She shrugged it of and started walking in the direction of the shipyard. She cursed quietly as she looked at her watch, she was two hours late. _' Yep, Fez is so going to kill me. '_


	4. Chapter 4

Collision 4

" This is simply unacceptable! " Fez, the supervisor and owner of The Seakings Shipyard was not happy. His face was red with anger as he stood screaming at Kiko in his oversized office, it was too big to keep proper order in, which made Fez furious every time he needed something from it. Today was no exception as he tried to locate the list of the worker's schedules. Finally finding it, he stood towering over Kiko as he read it, Kiko trying to explain.

" I fell on my way here and had to see a doctor. Look at- "

" I don't want to hear your excuses! You have been late almost every day for nearly three weeks now. If you're late one more time, you will have to find yourself another job. Now get out of my office you stupid woman!" She ran out of the office and slammed the door behind her, running through the large office building til she got to the front door. Once outside she sat down against the wall to calm a bit before returning to work. After taking a final calming breath she rose to her feet and walked towards the little harbor that belonged to the company. From there they could lift ships from the water with huge cranes so they could reach the bottom of it. She caught sight of Mark, a fellow worker, a few paces away.

" Hey Mark! " He turned at the sound of her voice and smiled scoldingly.

" Late again are we?" But his smile faded when the bandages came into view.

" Jesus Kiko , what happened to you? You look like you've been to hell and back. " She just shrugged it of.

" I sort of fell on the way here, went to a doctor too. That's why I'm late." He looked at her with raised eyebrows, clearly not buying it.

" You fell? Seriously?"

" Yeah, seriously. Hey, have you seen any submarines around the harbor lately? "

" Yeah, they're letting one in as we speak, I heard your name being spoken. You know them? " Kiko smiled as she walked towards the harbor, leaving Mark to his own devices.

" You could say that." As she reached the bridge she saw the submarine come into view, now that a lot of it was above the surface she saw that it was in fact huge! She had to keep her jaw from dropping as it got closer and closer, and the familiar silhouette of Law was visible standing tall at the very front of the large vessel, his crew right behind him. The submarine even had their symbol painted on the side. Almost all the worker stopped whatever they were doing and just stood there, watching the pirate crew enter the small bay. _'Classic Law, classic.' _Kiko thought as the submarine entered fully and the mechanics were making preparations to hoist it up. One of Law's crew laid out a gangway and the crew and their captain walked onto dry land. Law seemed to send his crew away, probably to restock and such, and then walked towards Kiko. She crossed her arms as he neared, a relaxed smile on his face as he nodded in greeting.

" Kiko."

" Law." She nodded back. Kiko heard an impressed whistle from Law as he went to stand beside her.

" You people sure do work fast. " She straightened her back slightly.

" The workers of Seaking Shipyard are known for their speed. " Law's smile turned into a smirk that sent shivers down her spine, it was something in it that didn't feel quite right, like he knew something she didn't .

" What's with the smirk? " She narrowed her eyes playfully at him.

" Hm? Oh nothing, nothing at all. " The smirk never left his face as they stood by and watched the submarine being lifted out of the water and onto a scaffold so they could work on it properly. As the straps that kept the sub in the air were removed Kiko turned to Law.

" That's my cue, I'll need to go over it and asses the damage, only then I can tell how long it's going to take to repair it. " Law nodded, seemingly pleased.

" Alright Kiko, my ship is in your hands, take good care of her. " He turned and walked away, smile ever present on his face as he strolled casually down the street.

A few hours later Kiko found herself inside the sub, simply admiring the machines and contraptions. She lightly dragged her hand over one of the engines, marveling at the design and build of the thing. The engines in the sub were huge but brilliantly built. _' Almost a shame it isn't this part that needs to be fixed.'_ The engine problems the crew had been experiencing were in fact not engine but radiator problems. _' Probably clogged up somewhere. ' _ She made a few notes on a paper in front of her, a list of the things that needed attention which was a lot. _' I'll need to have a little chat with a certain Captain about this. Seriously, what were they thinking, not having someone with them that could take proper care of this beauty. ' _Now she was finished with the outside and inside check and had a long list of things that had to be taken care of. She needed to find Law so she could give him a good and proper scolding.

" 'Take good care of her' , Psht! Like he knows how to take care of a submarine. " Kiko grumbled to herself as she exited and climbed down the ladder back to the ground. She copied the list onto another paper and pinned it in a notice board, then she went to find Law.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

" Where can he be? " Kiko had walked around for almost an hour now, trying to find the tall Captain whose ship she had at her mercy. The poor submarine was badly beaten up and she'd found a leakage here and there as well. Sure, the leakages were in places you rarely checked unless you knew you should, but still it had pissed her off a lot. _' Wait a second, the bar! Of course, why didn't I think of that before? It's typical for pirates these days.' S_he picked up the pace and soon entered a bar called the Dancing Sailor. The sign with the name at the entrance was worn and hung loose on one side, the red paint faded revealing a dark rotten material beneath. Inside it smelled like wet wood, booze and sweat. _'Charming.' _Then she spotted Law and what was probably a few of his crew members sitting at a table in the far corner. She saw his Nodachi leaning beside his chair, within reach if it was needed. Law himself seemed to be in an apparently amusing conversation with a large polar bear in an orange jumpsuit. It didn't faze her at the moment though, her mind was too focused on finally giving Law a piece of her mind. She walked up to them, Law now spotting her and smiling, making the rest of the men turn their heads to look at the new face. She put on a sweet smile, but it wasn't a real one.

" Ah Kiko, how is the assessment of the ship going? " Her smile was sweet as cherry pie but her eyes had a hard glint to them.

" It's finished. Can I talk to you in private for a moment? " His eyes narrowed a fraction but he stood up none the less and followed the no longer smiling woman out, leaving his Nodachi to the polar bear as he passed him. She walked a few meters to stand at the corner of the building, out of earshot of the people passing by on the street. She turned around and Law raised an eyebrow at the pissed of look on her normally smiling face.

" Doesn't anyone in your crew know how to take care of a submarine properly? Beside all the damages in the hull you have several leakages in different places of the sub, it could have ended badly if so much as a spark had come in contact with the fluids running through those pipes. I didn't want to lecture you in front of your crew for the sake of morals, it didn't seem right. What the hell were you thinking not having a mech-" She was cut of by Law putting a hand over her mouth as he grabbed her arm in a tight grip making her let out a muffled cry at the abuse of her injured arm and pulled her to the left into an alley. Now they were not only completely out of earshot, but also out of sight, hidden by the dark shadow of the red brick wall. Her eyes widened as she saw the cold fury in his eyes, a sickly feeling wrapping around her, shudders running down her spine. _'Okay, I can see why he's the captain.' _

" First of all, who the hell do you think you are? You do not have the right to order me around, Miss Kiko." He said 'miss' in a mocking tone. " Second, I'm a pirate, why would I want to hear about your personal complaints on how my ship has been treated? Mechanics that are experts on submarines and have the guts to survive as a pirate are hard to find miss Kiko, and we have not been fortunate in that area. Not yet at least." He scanned her up and down with a quick movement of his eyes, and Kiko's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I thought you knew better than to go around lecturing pirates, if it was anyone else it could have ended badly. Can I remove my hand now, or are you going to keep yelling at me? " She swallowed visibly, and the shadow of a smirk was visible on his face. _' He's enjoying this. ' _ She raised her hands in defeat, and he let go of her.

" I do not take kindly to being ordered around Kiko, so don't or you might get more than what you bargained for. Now, what's wrong with the ship? " She sighed and showed him the list. His eyes widened momentarily and then gave it back.

" I can understand your frustration, but it is not your concern how we treat our ship, it is to repair it. Are we clear? " She sighed, not giving an open answer right away, and narrowed her eyes at him which only made him lean in closer and put slightly more pressure on her arm as to emphasize his point. She felt his breath fan her cheeks gently, and she could feel the heat of his tall form through their clothes.

" I said, Are we clear?" Trying to hold up the slowly crumbling facade of being unafraid she nodded numbly.

"Y-yeah. " _' Way to be brave Kiko!' _her mind scolded her. Law smiled calmly but she could still see a cold warning in his eyes and resisted the urge to back even further into the wall.

" Good. Now, how about you meet the crew? " He finally let go of her now aching arm and stepped back into the light. 'Oh no! Not more pirates.'

" Ehm, I don't think that's such a-"

" Don't be shy, they don't bite. " He carelessly put an arm around her shoulders and walked towards the bar, but Kiko slipped away from his grasp.

" I have lots of work to do! I just came here to let you know that it will take at least a week to repair everything. I was late today too so I'm screwed if my boss catches me slacking off. I'll talk to you later. " Before he cold think of a reply she was jogging down the street, her arm slightly cradled to her chest. Law's eyes narrowed and the smile was gone. _'What the hell?' _He didn't think Kiko to be the type to fear her boss. She seemed to hold her ground around him, so why not around her boss? He would have to look into that. Not that it really mattered, even though she didn't know it, by the end of the week her boss wouldn't be a problem anymore. His smile returned and he looked to the sky where dark clouds were forming. He closed his eyes briefly as the rain started to fall and simply enjoyed the small moment of peace.

By the time Kiko reached the shipyard it was pouring down, and she was happy when she could take cover inside the big tent-like structure the workers had put up around the sub. She didn't like the rain, because with rain usually came thunderstorms, and Kiko and lightning didn't get along. At all. She looked up at the strange symbol painted on the vessel and shuddered. _' I swear this is going to be the end of me.' _


	6. Chapter 6

Hello again!

For all those who wonder why the last chapter was so late, I was on vacation. And after that I was too tired to write and had no inspiration what so ever, and I didn't want to give you a crappy chapter just for the sake of it. Anyway, I'll try to update faster but I have a lot to do now that the school is starting so no promises.

Keep reading! ^^

/ Allblue95

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Chapter 6

" Come on you piece of shit! If you don't move I swear I'll-"

" You would do what to my submarine miss Kiko?" With a loud shriek Kiko dropped her vice like hold on the lever she was desperately trying to move, with no success of course. She almost lost her balance as well but managed to right herself just in time.

" Law-san, didn't I tell you to stop sneaking up on me yesterday? And the day before. And the day before that." She stood with her hands on her hips, defiance smoldering in her ocean eyes. Law chuckled and ruffled her hair as if she were a small child. Kiko angrily swatted his hand away, but he still had that infuriating smirk on his face.

" Kiko, you should know by now that I don't follow orders, I give them. " She grumbled a bit and then turned back around and resumed her battle with the lever. She didn't hear anything behind her so she figured Law had gone away and left her to fight her own battle.

" What are you doing? " She resisted to jump three meters as the calm voice of Law appeared beside her ear.

" I need to open that ventilation shaft but the lever seems to be stuck, it just won't move. " She pulled one last time, but the lever didn't give away as much as a squeak.

" Ah to hell with it!" Kiko let go and backed away a meter or two, pushing Law out of the way who had an eyebrow raised, clearly curious of her next move which had his eyes widening a fraction. She took a deep breath, squatting down close to the floor and then shot up in a powerful spin of legs, effectively kicking the lever into movement. She landed in a graceful flourish, and then went over to the ventilation shaft as if nothing had happened. _'What the hell?' _Law stood frozen, not believing his eyes. This small clumsy girl was trained, and trained well it seemed. He looked at her legs hidden beneath her gray jumpsuit that had its arms tied around the mechanics waist, a black tank top visible. _'No way. There's simply no way.' _

" Where did you learn to do that? " She stopped in her examination of the vent and looked at him.

" Do what? " She tried to sound as innocent as possible, but she had never been good at lying.

" Don't play games Kiko. You just spun three laps in the air in less than a second without any built up speed to talk about. " He was towering over her menacingly. " Tell me, How? "

" That is none of your business, it's just something I picked up on the street." _'Oh shit, he wasn't supposed to know that.'_ She instantly knew she had said too much.

" The street? Care to explain that? Does the fact that you have absolutely no friends outside of work got anything to do with it? " Kiko froze, a sad look appearing in her eyes. _'So he noticed.' _ She turned away from him, busying herself with scraping away rust.

" I've just been busy is all, I haven't really had the time to make friends. "

" I'm not stupid Kiko,and I'm quite good at telling when someone is lying to me. So cut the crap and be honest, or I'll make you." At this Kiko whirled around, a pissed off look on her face.

" What's it to you? Huh? What do you care if I don't have any friends outside of work? If I can fight? Why do you care? After tomorrow you will never see my face again, so why?"

" You got one thing wrong there. Tomorrow won't be the last time we see each other. " She stared at him, totally confused at the tall man.

" What do you mean? It's not like you're ever coming back here."

" No, we're not. But we need a mechanic, and you know the ship. " Kiko backed away from him slowly, discreetly heading for the door.

" What are you saying?"

" You're coming with us Kiko. " Blunt as always, Law looked at the wide eyed mechanic. She shook her head in denial, looking at the floor trying to take it all in. Her head was swimming with thoughts, and she felt a bit sick. Her heart was doing flip-flops inside her chest.

" No. No, I can't. I won't, you can't force me."

" Ah but I can. You forget that I am a pirate Kiko. I follow my own rules and wishes, and I want you as my mechanic. I won't take no for an answer." He was about to take a step closer and reached for her when she bolted for the door. She almost knocked him over completely but he took hold of the wall and then dashed after her. _' I have to get away! I need to hide. I will not go to sea!' _She could hear Law behind her right at her heels and she pushed her legs to run faster as the sound of their footsteps echoed in the iron vessel. The advantage was on Kiko's side. Since she'd been working on the sub for the last week she knew the interior like the back of her hand by now, well almost. Soon she only heard herself and stopped behind a corner and listened. Nothing. Not one sound. This was not good. She had at least expected to hear a breath or two, but no. What now? She was stuck inside a submarine with a sneaky and positively lethal pirate that wanted her as his mechanic. She looked around in hope of something she could use to her advantage since she couldn't just head for the exit. Law would probably have that one blocked faster than she could say Red-Haired Shanks. She felt the panic start to prod at her mind but pushed it away, now was not the time to freak out. She suddenly spotted the object of her salvation: the vent. It was a quite large ventilation tunnel that traveled through the entire ship. The door was positioned in the ceiling so it wouldn't get in the way, and Kiko just might be agile enough to reach it, climb in and crawl to the bottom of the ship where another door could be found which lead outside. So she took a deep breath, backed away to get a running start and then ran up the wall, jumped, turned in the air and grabbed the small handle. She dangled back and forth, finally getting it open and climbed in. It was a tight squeeze but it wold have to do. She reached a hand back down and closed the door, then started crawling the long way down.

Law stood leaning against the wall beside the door, waiting for a sign of the mechanic to show. No such luck. After fifteen minutes he still hadn't seen a trace of her. He sat down, legs crossed in front of him, one hand ion his pocket while the other pulled forward a Mini-Den Den Mushi.

" Bepo. " He spoke calmly to the small snail which after about ten seconds opened it's eyes, staring back at him.

" Captain? " His first mate's voice rumbled through and Law smiled lazily.

" Come back to the ship, we have a mechanic on the loose here somewhere. I need you to find her. She's probably still in the sub but I want you to keep a watchful eye on all the vents and windows anyway in case she find another way out. I'm guarding the front door as we speak but I think she's bright enough to find another route out, if she hasn't already. " Law looked around at the iron walls that was his ship.

" We're on our way Captain." With a '_Gacha_' the snail closed it's eyes yet again and Law put it back in his pocket. He wasn't stupid, she might have found another way out but she wasn't safe yet. _'Oh no'_ Law thought as he leaned his head back. _'She was far from it.' _


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Kiko froze as the metal door gave away a loud squeak and stopped in the middle of prying it open with her wrench. She knew she needed to get out of there fast before the rest of the crew returned so she swallowed her fear for the moment and gave it all she had. With an even louder shriek the door finally opened and Kiko practically fell out, hitting her rear end painfully on the hard ground. She sat still for a moment or two, getting her bearings, and then stood up quietly but swiftly and closed the door. She looked around one last time before she sneaked off to the end of the sub and looked around the corner. She quickly pulled back again as she was met with white fur and pressed her back closer to the hull, completely out of sight. She heard the bear sniff in the air slightly and she backed further away. Finally, after nearly a minute of extreme sniffing, he stopped and continued on his way. She was just about to let out a breath of relief when she heard Law's voice and stood stock still as he spoke.

" Nicolai, guard the door if she would come out that way, the rest of you go around the sub and search for signs of escape. " _' Yikes!' _" If you should find her or any trace of her you report to me immediately. Understood?" He was answered with a loud chorus of 'yes sir' -s and she heard footsteps close in on the corner she was hiding behind. _' Shit,shit,shit!' _ Kiko frantically looked around her, searching for anything she could hide behind. Her eyes stopped at the box they kept tools in and she quickly sneaked over and ambled inside just as Bepo was coming round the corner. The box smelt of wood and oil, it should mask her scent alright. She heard him sniffing again, walk around a bit and finally stopped just beside her box. _'Looks like I'm gonna have to fight a bit.' _Kiko sat ready to lash up and give anyone who opened the lid a right hand uppercut if necessary. Bepo once again sniffed, now on the lid, and then carefully opened it and peeked inside. Kiko flew out and hit him straight on the nose, and the bear passed out. If it was from the actual hit or out of shock Kiko didn't know, and she didn't really feel like sticking around to find out. She looked around to make sure no one saw her and then dragged the large, and very heavy, bear to the box, pulled him inside, and closed the lid. _'Sorry Bepo, you'll wake up when I'm long gone.' _She looked around one last time and then dashed across the street to hide in the shadows there. She gazed back at the shipyard one last time and then ran deeper into the alley,heading for her apartment. She knew it would be stupid to return there but she had to. She would need money to get out of here and she had all her stuff there, so that's where she went. _' They can't have gotten there already, they're too focused on the sub which will take a while to search. I should be fine.' _The last thought passed through her head as she caught sight of the large house which held her apartment. It looked exactly the same as always. She sneaked around the building, looking around corners to check the street was empty, and then went in through the front door. She stealthily sneaked up the stairs and then fumbled a bit with her keys, the fear and panic finally getting to her, pushed the key in the lock, twisted it and opened the door. She took one step inside and then saw a long object appear in front of her, traveling at a frightening speed, to finally hit her in the head. She lost consciousness before she hit the ground, only one word on her mind. _'Law' _

Kiko awoke slowly, and with a headache. She tried to get up but instantly fell back down as though someone had punched her in the stomach. She opened her eyes and was blinded by sunlight, and she snapped then shut. She then felt restraints at her wrists and ankles.

" What the hell?" she tried to open her eyes again, but this time not as much, and could finally make out the interior of the room. It was white and smelled of iron and antibiotics.

" Sorry about the restraints, but I couldn't have you running around again. " Her eyes shifted to a blurry figure sitting on a chair beside her bed. A figure with a fuzzy hat. She closed her eyes and dropped her head back to the pillow.

" Would you just go away? " He chuckled lightly at this.

" I'm afraid not,miss Kiko. You'll be seeing a lot of me from now on since you're joining the crew." She flew up, fighting the restraints like mad, desperately trying to get loose. She suddenly felt a soft big hand settle on her forehead, firmly pushing her back down.

" Now, now miss Kiko, no need to panic. Why are you so set on escaping being a pirate? Hm? " His thumb gently stroked her temple and she itched to smack him away, but the restraints kept her from it. He looked down into her eyes that opened wide all of a sudden, and was surprised to see only pure cold fury in them. His smile that had adorned his face earlier was now gone, replaced by a frown.

" Don't meddle in business that has nothing to do with you. Now let me go and leave me the hell alone! I want nothing to do with you!" She instantly realized her mistake as the fury in his eyes now matched her own. He leaned closer, stopping when she could feel his breath in her ear, and his hand slid over her face to come to rest at her neck. He put a light pressure on it, not enough to cut off her breath but enough to make itself known. He could feel her blood speeding away in the veins beneath her skin and her pulse fluttered quickly against his fingers. She was completely at his mercy. Just a bit more pressure and he could stop her from taking another breath ever again.

" I am done playing games,miss Kiko. I'm tired of your mindless antics, were it not for your skill you would probably be dead by now. " he walked around her, keeping his hand on her throat, but now he could also reach the rest of her. His hand ghosted across the skin of her arm, her hand, delicately tracing the shape of her hip with a finger, coming to a stop at her thigh. The action made Kiko shivered slightly, clearly uncomfortable with the complete control he possessed over her, and his mouth curved into a smile that would put the devil's to shame. His hand traveled up again to rest at her wrist. He reached into his back pocket but since his other hand was at her throat she could not see what he was doing. She stilled completely as she felt the cold and merciless blade of a scalpel against the sensitive skin of her jugular.

" What's it going to be, miss Kiko? Will you accept your position as the mechanic of this vessel? Or will you drown in your own blood, right here right now? It's up to you. " It was quiet for what seemed an eternity, and for a moment, Law thought he felt her heart stop. But a moment later it was ticking as normal. He dismissed it as his imagination. She finally spoke, albeit slowly, painfully aware of the scalpel. She would not look at him.

" I accept the position. " For once, Law didn't feel like smirking in triumph. Something was off. But he removed the scalpel none the less, and then proceeded to loosen the restraints as well. Still she would not look at him. This bothered him, but not enough to make a big thing out of it. It was normal for her to hate him for a while when he'd just forced her into becoming the one thing she wanted the least. But there was no helping it, he had never seen another mechanic working with such speed and skill at the same time.

" Come on, I'll show you to your room." She followed him silently as they walked down the hall. He reached the sleeping quarters after a left turn and stopped in front of the third door in the hall. He opened it and motioned her in before him. She looked around the room and got an annoyed expression on her face as she found that all of her stuff was already there. It was a medium sized room with it's own bathroom, a very small one but it did have a shower, a dresser, a desk with a chair and a bed. It had one circle shaped window that was currently showing nothing but darkness.

" How long was I out?"

" Long enough. Would you care to tell me why you have such a distaste for pirates? "

" I don't have a problem with other people following their dreams to the seas. Just me. "

" Why? " His voice was closer now but she didn't bother to step away.

" It's personal and in the past where it belongs. " She walked closer to the window, Law stared at her as she took in her reflection against the glass. She looked like shit.

" Then why don't you let go? "

" Because it's not that simple! It's nothing I can just drop, it goes deep. I don't expect you to understand." At this he walked closer. _'This guy has a serious problem with personal spaces.' _He turned her around by her shoulder but she still kept her eyes far away from his. He grabbed her chin very gently, turning her face towards his.

" Kiko, look at me. " She closed her eyes for a second and then opened them, looking straight at him. She was shocked to see actual concern in his eyes, his face a mask of seriousness. Her breath caught in her throat as the back of his fingers stroked her cheek. How long had it been since she'd felt like this?

" You'll never survive out here if you keep dwelling on the past. Trust me on this. " A second later he was opening the door, half way out when he spoke again.

" The mess hall is down the corridor to the right if you get hungry." He smirked slightly at her still slightly shocked face. " Welcome to the crew, Kiko"


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: One Piece and all it's characters belongs to the brilliant Eiichiro Oda.

Credit goes to Akalilly for the names for some of Law's crewmembers. Thank you for letting me use them! :)

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Chapter 8

Trafalgar Law groaned loudly in his bed as footsteps and yelling echoed through the Heart pirates' sub.

" You come back here right now Nicolai or I swear I will rip your intestines from your body and feed them to the next Sea-king I lay eyes on!" Pulling a pillow over his head he attempted to drown out the noise, and upon failing he briefly pondered on Kiko's choice of words. _'She sounds almost like I would.' _Shaking his head he buried his face in the mattress before finally letting out a deep sigh and getting up.

He'd woken up to this at least two times a week the last month now and in his opinion that was way to often to be healthy. Every time it started with Nicolai, or occasionally Demitri, stealing, or "borrowing" one of Kiko's tools and every time it ended with Kiko kicking them green and blue in her fit of rage. About two hours later however, when she'd come to her senses, she would feel very guilty and come find them with an apologetic expression on her face. But she would never actually apologize, oh no, she is way too stubborn for that. Instead she would keep them company for a while and then leave them with a gentle pat on the shoulder.

But not today. Today Law had had enough. This was going to end. Now. Pulling on a pair of pants and his furry hat but not bothering with a shirt (Way too early for a shirt anyway being 6 in the bloody morning) he left his room and followed the racket to the kitchen where Kiko had Nicolai pinned in a corner, a knife in her hand and rage in her eyes.

" Where is it Nicolai? Where the bloody hell is it? " Nicolai however didn't seem very faced by the knife, he had a huge steak-knife and a saucer for protection to his assistance, Kiko's tool nowhere in sight. He had a cocky smile on his face (this had turned into more of a game for him and Demitri and they occasionally made bets on how long they could keep the tool before she got her hands on it.).

"It's in a safe place."

" I swear to god, if I don't have that tool in the next two minutes your head will be-"

"ENOUGH!" both froze as they spotted their captain to the right of their position, rage set firmly on his normally calm features.

" Will you never be quiet? It's impossible to sleep in all the noise you make every time this happens!"

It turned deathly quiet in the kitchen before both crew-members dropped their weapons and pointed at each other.

"He started it!"

"She started it!"

Kiko looked at him with a bewildered look.

" How can you even try blaming this on me? YOU stole MY tool!" Nicolai shrugged.

" Can't hurt trying."

" Why you little-" Kiko was about to jump at Nicolai and probably punch his face in when she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist lifting her up on a shoulder. A very Naked shoulder. She saw Nicolai disappear out of sight as Law rounded a corner and continued walking, the sound of Nicolai running away to put himself into safety could be heard and Kiko turned to the tall man beneath her, or rather the back of his head.

" What did you do that for? I was gonna hack the quartz brained maggot to pieces!"

" I can't have you killing the rest of my crew miss Kiko, that would simply not do. And why on earth are you running around in just pajama pants and a tank top? "

" Why are you walking around without a shirt?"

" Touche my dear, but I asked you first."At this Kiko sighed in defeat.

" Nicolai woke me up as he was sneaking out with one of my tools. Again. Now, why no shirt?"

" Why, you don't like the view?" She could practically sense his smirk as her face heated up.

" I didn't mean it like that."

" So you admit you DO like it? " he dropped her down on the floor in her room that had been moved to next to the engine room for convenience about a week into her stay at the sub. Face burning she turned away from him muttering something inaudible.

" What was that miss Kiko? Didn't quite catch that." Rooting around among her stuff, obviously looking for something else to wear, she spoke a little louder but still very quietly and carefully.

" I said it sort of suits you."

" Sort of? Mind elaborating?" She looked at him briefly from behind her bangs, eyes passing over his half naked form and the corner of her lip twitched before going back to rummaging through her dresser.

" If you're gonna walk around shirtless you should walk around hat-less as well, it looks a bit out of place. " Law was now grinning from ear to ear, a look of mischief shining in his stormy eyes, all the previous anger now completely forgotten.

" Then I will say that that tank top suits you perfectly, wouldn't change a thing with it. " With that he stepped back out the door, walking back to his own room. Kiko's eyebrows furrowed with obvious confusion until she saw her reflection in the mirror. The tank top she was wearing was white and almost a bit see through and it stuck to her like a second skin. Since this was her bed wear she didn't have a bra on beneath it and she stuck her head out the door and yelled after her captain.

" YOU BLOODY PERVERT!" and threw a screwdriver towards him just for good measure.

_'Asshat'_

Later that day when Kiko was leaving the engine room she almost tripped over the wrench lying on the floor just outside the door, Nicolai had finally decided to give it back. Smiling slightly she picked it up and returned it to it's rightful place in the toolbox.

Looking around she could feel a mixture of feelings wash over her. She didn't regret joining the Heart pirates (even though Law, the ass that he is, practically forced her to) but at the same time she constantly had a knot in her stomach, never quiet feeling completely at ease with where her life was going. Suffering from her own experience she had never been successful at following her heart, were it in love or dreams of the future it had never ended well.

A knock interrupted her thoughts and Sam, one of the cooks, stuck his bearded head in.

"You got mail." He threw some envelopes at her and then left her alone. Sam was always quiet and said only what he felt was necessary to say, which was never a lot. But what she like about him was that he never meddled in her personal business, like her past. He never pushed her to tell him anything. In difference to Law who had her revealing several embarrassing memories from her childhood just a few weeks into knowing her.

She had three letters, one was from Fez most probably saying she was fired. That one she threw in the garbage without opening it. The second was from her former landlord saying that since all her stuff was missing and so was she he had to give her apartment to someone else. Destination : Garbage. _' If he considers me missing how did he send the letter to me? Dense old geezer.' _The third letter was completely vacant of any lettering other than her name and crew. Finding it odd she opened it with a lot of caution, eyes widening when she saw the insignia on the upper right corner of the letter.

_'The marines really should get a cooler insignia.' _ she thought as she quickly read through the letter. A huge lump was forming in her throat as her eyes reached the end. _'Signed ? Who the hell is that? Probably some low commander. '_Giving the marines info on Law had been tempting the first month or so but Kiko was having doubts she still wanted the defiant captain to die. The letter said that she could pretty much ask for anything in return for information but could she really do it? Betray the ones she had come to know as friends? She hadn't had proper friends for a very long time, was she really going to give them away to die?

Sinking to her knees she looked around at her room again. Would she ever be able to live with being a pirate again? It could turn out like last time she tried. Kiko shuddered as memories of blood, agony and death came to the surface and a fresh tear escaped her eye. She roughly wiped it away. _'There's no use in crying Kiko, never helped anyone.' _ Stuffing the letter and mini den-den mushi in a box in the closet she left the room, going in search for someone that might be able to tell her who this 'Akainu' person was.

Entering the kitchen she found Sam making a stew, probably for dinner.

" Sam?"

"Hm?" As said earlier, a man of few words.

" Who is Akainu?" Sam was in the middle of tasting the stew but stopped himself and looked at Kiko, eyebrows knitted together.

" One of the three marine admirals." then he turned back to his stew, a slightly worried expression still adorning his features. Kiko paled and ran straight back to her room.

" Thanks Sam." He looked after the younger woman, now even more concerned but as usual did not want to pry. But she had asked about Akainu, one of the most dangerous people in the world, he could not help but feel an urge to tell the captain. _'This needs some serious thinking about, Sam.' _His face took on an annoyed expression as the stew reached his tongue. _'And this stew needs more salt.' _


	9. Chapter 9

I do not own One Piece or even Law. _'Sad sad panda.'_

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Chapter 9

"Nicolai, how far to the next island?" Nicolai looked up at his captain and then back to the map he had in front of him.

" We should reach it by tomorrow at noon." Law smiled at his subordinate.

" Good, we need new medical supplies." Looking around his smile turned into a frown.

" Have you seen Kiko lately? I haven't heard anything from her since the day before yesterday at lunch. She usually reports about the engine before we reach harbor " Nicolai shrugged and focused on the map.

" Beats me. Haven't seen her either, think she's in her room. We just thought she might still be a bit pissed about the wrench." Law pondered for a moment before deciding to go find the odd mechanic. It still annoyed him that she refused to tell him of her past. He knew bits and pieces of her childhood but that was it, she never told him anything about her life after she turned fifteen. _'What happened back then Kiko?' _He thought as he arrived at her room, knocking authoritatively on the door. When there was no answer he knocked a little harder.

" Kiko! You in there?" No answer.

Trying the handle and finding it locked he scratched his neck in annoyance. It was in moments like these he almost regretted getting a submarine completely made out of metal as a vessel, the doors were very hard to break down. Just as he was about to go find someone who could the door opened to reveal a very tired looking Kiko.

" What? " she immediately snapped at him, and he hadn't even remarked upon her incredibly messy hair(that looked almost like a bird nest) yet. He looked her up and down a few times and then focused in on her face. Dark circles beneath her bloodshot eyes that seemed to have lost a bit of their usually funky spark.

" You look like shit." Her eyebrows shot down in anger.

" Thank you captain obvious. Got any more intelligent remarks for me today or can I get back to work?"

" Work?" Law tried to peek inside the room but Kiko stepped outside and closed the door behind her to prevent him even getting a glimpse of it, crossing her arms in front of her.

" Your intelligent responses continue to astound me. Captain." She smirked slightly as his eyes narrowed at her.

" Since when did you grow such a daring tongue? Or have you finally lost your mind and is looking for a quick and painless way to die? Because I can tell you that my way of killing is neither quick nor painless. Now what work are you talking about? " Resisting the urge to bite her lip she stepped in front of the door handle.

" Nothing of great importance."

" Then you can tell me,since it's nothing serious." he was grinning like the chess-ire cat when she glared up at him, a hint of anxiousness creeping into her heart.

" I'm just planning for a rebuilding of one of the engines, it needs renovating." _'You call that lying? Good going there! Like he would fall for tha-' _She mentally elbowed her subconscious til it quieted down it's complaints as Law's left eyebrow raised in obvious doubt.

" Really? For two days straight? Without eating or sleeping? "_ 'Told you he wouldn't buy it.'_

"Well, I forgot. I was so focused on the plans that I lost track of time." _'Ok I think you just made it worse.' _Law now had both eyebrows raised and pushed Kiko to the side to open the door and step inside.

He was met with a floor full of newspapers, bounty-posters and letter paper. Frowning he crouched down looking at the articles written in the papers, they were all of the Heart pirates. The same with the bounty-posters.

" Why are you looking through these? They're old news by now, literally. This one is at least three years old." He gestured to the paper by his right boot.

" I uh.., I felt that I wanted to know a bit about the crew's past, so I looked around until I found these." Law looked from her to the papers. Something wasn't quite right here.

" You wanted to know of our past as pirates so you looked through old rotten newspapers instead of going to one of us that was actually there?" Kiko bit her lip anxiously, nodding lightly.

" And the letter paper? I don't remember you writing to anyone before. " He now rose up to his full height, towering over Kiko, his face shadowed. She was just about to answer but never got the chance to.

"Miss Kiko, how much have you told them?" _' And here I thought we he had stopped with the "miss" thing'_

" Who?" her voice came out very quiet, Law was starting to seriously freak her out.

" Who do you think I'm talking about? The marines of course you stupid girl!" he took a threatening step towards her.

" I haven't told them anything." she took a step back and was about to take another as he grabbed her wrist, pulling her back to him.

" You expect me to believe that?Miss Kiko? " His grip on her wrist was getting tighter and it felt like he could snap it in half at any second.

" Aren't you listening to me? I haven't told them anything yet!" At this he froze.

" Yet?"

It went deathly quiet. Kiko didn't dare say another word to him, not when he was like this.

" So you actually WERE going to tell them? " he said in a calm voice as cold as ice, gray eyes boring into her own with a look of disappointment growing in them. " Give us away, just like that? "

" Law, you need to listen to me. I wasn't go-"

" I don't need to do a damn thing!" he threw her away from him, a look of disgust on his face. Just in that moment Bepo stuck his head in.

" Captain! A ship is in sight." he looked from Law to Kiko and back to Law. " Captain?"

" I'm coming. Prepare for attack, I'll deal with you later Miss." With that he left with Bepo for the control room. Attempting to stop him Kiko leaped from the floor.

" Law! Don't shut th-!" The door slammed mercilessly in Kiko's face, she could hear the key turning in the lock on the outside. Slamming her fists on the door she screamed at the top of her lungs.

" LAW!"

When she finally stopped her attack on the door her throat was sore and her hands torn. She took a short breather before going back to kicking at the door instead with her bare feet. She kept this routine up for hours and her cries of frustration echoed through the ship long into the night. The feeling of hopelessness and abandonment filled her as silent tears streamed freely down her face.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why did I ever even CONSIDER telling them anything? I could never betray that stupid asshat of a captain." _'Too bad for you he thinks you would do it in a heartbeat.'_

The crew wanted to ask their captain about the sudden lockup of their crazed mechanic but didn't dare question him as he had went to his room as soon a s the battle was over, leaving the crew to clean up the mess of blood and guts on the deck. Normally they wouldn't surface for a simple battle but Law had told them specifically to do just that and to go up alongside the enemy vessel. And then Law did something they had never seen him do before, and never thought they would see, he fought with only his nodachi. No devil fruit, just plain brute force.

Even Bepo, who had been with Law the longest of them all, was shocked by his behavior. Never before had he seen his captain and long time friend act so...ruthless. Sure, Law was brutal and cold by nature

but _this _seemed to be an act of raw and pure emotion that had managed to break through his normally calm facade.

"Captain? What's going on? " Law met the gaze of his first mate and sighed deeply.

" Don't let miss Kiko out of her room, and don't give her any food. And don't disturb me for a few hours." With those words Law disappeared into the shower to clean himself of the blood splattered on his face and clothes. Bepo scratched the back of his head, clearly confused. Demitri walked up beside him, slapping him on the shoulder when the bear hung his head.

" Don't be such a wuss Bepo, captain knows what he's doin." A depressing aura surrounded Bepo.

" Sorry."


	10. Chapter 10

Hello again people!

Yea I know I've been very rude leaving you with that chapter for a very long time but I've had no real inspiration to write as of late. But recently, as school ended, I felt that need to write again and here we are.

Here's another chapter for ya! And thank you all so extremely much for the lovely reviews!

Enjoy! ^^

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Chapter 10

A week passed slowly for Kiko. No food, no water, no company. Not even Bepo was allowed to visit her. Two weeks passed. Still nothing. Had they forgotten about her already? After about three days she had stopped her attack on the door, finally giving in. If she listened real carefully she could sometimes hear people pass by in the hall just outside the door. So close yet so far away, constantly. She would bang and scream at the door whenever she heard anyone but none stopped to listen.

At first she was angry, at everything. Law, Akainu, her past, herself, Akainu and of course, herself. Then came the regret. She would scream at anyone and everything that she was sorry and wanted to take everything back. No reaction.

Law had yet to come speak to her when two and a half weeks had passed, and she was starting to loose hope. He was clearly not going to forgive her any time soon, and calculating that by the time he finally got his head out of his ass it would be too late for her to tell him the truth in person, so she wrote. By the last day of the third week Kiko had successfully written an impressive pile of letter, all containing her thoughts and reasoning when she had received the letter from Akainu. To say she was sorry would be an understatement, after being left entirely to herself for almost three weeks had left her with only a sense and feeling of regret and abandonment. She figured she deserved it. All that remained of the cocky mechanic was a broken shell.

"Captain! Isn't it enough soon? I mean come on, it's been nearly THREE WEEKS for fucks sake!" Demitri threw his beloved Penguin-hat at the floor. He stared wildly at his captain who seemed to have grown colder and colder during the weeks he kept Kiko locked up. Observe, HE kept her locked up. Demitri cowered back a bit at the icy look Law shot him.

Soon the entire crew had all been to see him, one or two almost every day. They knew their captain almost better than he knew himself, and this, this wasn't him. Now they had finally docked at an island, but Kiko still had to remain in her room.

" You can't keep her locked up forever. She'll be dead soon, she was frail to begin with, she won't last long! " Grey eyes looked from him to his second in command, the only one to yet have spoken a word about it. The bear looked to the ground, the wall and back to Law. The captain looked torn for a moment before masking it with a face of indifference.

" I will consider it. Now go get new supplies, we're short on anesthesia. " they slowly trudged out of the room, Demitri picking up his hat but not putting it on again. _'This is not good. I wonder how she's doing...' _

After about ten minutes he reached the market and was pushing past people to get to the pharmacy/ medical supply store. When he was just about to open the door he was pulled into an alleyway.

" Oi! What do you think you're doin?" He was met with a look of serious urgency.

" Do you have the intel?"

" What? What are you talking about? What 'intel'? You a crazy person?"

" You are Kiko Tanaka, right? We never received your answer. We need the intel we requested in the letter."

"Letter?" He must have looked pretty stupid, his mouth hanging wide open.

" Quick! Give it to me!" suddenly everything clicked in Demitri's head. Eyes narrowing he punched the man who slid down the wall to the ground. Ripping off the brown cloak he saw the white and blue uniform that could only belong to one organization. Kicking the marine for good measure he ran back to the sub, heading for the captain's office.

"Captain! Captain!" Law ran a tattooed hand through his dark hair, wishing his crew would stop questioning him, accept his decision and for the love of god stop shouting his title all the time like a horribly repetitive mantra. Grey eyes locking dangerously on Demitri as he entered his office, without knocking, short of breath and panic in his eyes.

"What Demitri, what? " The question came out even more venomously than he'd intended but it didn't seem to stop the riled up man.

" The Marines- letter- not her fault." Demitri managed to get out between breaths. Law was already on high alert when the Marines were mentioned.

" What? You're not making mych sense here Demitri, you're gonna have to try harder." bending over and taking a few more controlled breaths he finally met the gaze on his increasingly impatient captain.

"Kiko. It wasn't her idea, they sent her a letter. A marine mistook me for her at the market, told me everything. SHE'S INNOCENT CAPTAIN!" Law stood still as a statue behind his desk, eyes staring emptily into space as his previously tired but now alert brain processed this. In less than a second he was out the door, the key clutched painfully in his hand. It seemed to weigh a ton, at least. The steady beat of his steps increased in tempo until he was practically sprinting through the halls. Crewmembers roaming the corridors barely had time to move out of the way before their captain ran past them, shouting orders as he got nearer to the door.

" Get a gourney to Kiko's room! NOW! Bepo, get me the emergency kit. "

"Yes sir!" came the chorused reply.

Law reached the door he had avoided for three weeks and his hand almost trembled when he put the key in the lock and turned. The feel of thinned out air met him and he had to be careful as he stepped over the piles of ripped paper and shards of every breakable material that had been in the room. The previously acceptable room was an unexplainable mess and in the middle of it all was the bed, and in the middle of the bed lay a small frail creature slightly resembling what used to be his smartmouthed mechanic. Kneeling next to her on the bed he turned her over on her back, immediately checking for a pulse. The sking of her neck felt oily and he got a sickly cold feeling in his stomach as his fingers almost instantly met bone wherever he touched.

" Kiko? O-oi! Wake up!" He kept looking for lifesignns and let out a shaky breath as he felt the blood pulsating weakly beneath his fingertips. But as he looked her over he found several injuries that he found he could not explain, no one had entered the room, he'd made sure of that. Then a painful revelation entered his mind, _'Would she hurt herself?'_ For the first time in a long time, perhaps ever, Law felt dread fill his being. If Demitri really was right, and if Kiko really never planned to give them away, would she punish herself because she thought they hated her? Then Bepo arrived with the emergency kit and a gourney, after that everything happened in a blur. Throughout the evening whispers could be heard across the ship about the near-dead mechanic. The mystery injuries became a heated discussion until Sam decided to yell at anyone who tried to turn Kiko's wellbeing into a detective story. After that all you could hear were words of genuine concern, noone dare piss off the chef and after Kyle came from the infirmary noone could go to sleep. He told them that Kiko had been very near death when their captain opened the door, if they had waited another ten minutes or so she would have left them, forever. Nicolai got up from his chair in an act of desperation.

" I wanna go sit with her til she wakes up." But Kyle held him back as the other crewmembers from the sickbay came back to the kitchen, getting a cup of steaming coffee from Sam.

" No, you can't. Captain is with her, you don't wanna go in there right now. He damn near tore us to shreds when we hestiated leaving him with her."

" Yeah, not even Bepo was allowed to stay. I've never seen Captn so angered. " another of the men said. Bepo hung his head.

" I'm sorry." Nicolai had trouble sitting still in his chair, a frown across his normally jolly features.

" But what does he have to be angry at? He's the one that locked her up!" Everyone went silent and Sam shook his wise head as they all realized Nicolai had just answered his own question.


	11. Chapter 11

I have returned, I told you I'd be back :) , evem though even I doubted my sincerity at times.

I listened to The Doctor's Theme by Murray Gold while I wrote this, it felt fitting.

Beware the cheese in this chapter! It was necessary though, couldn't be helped. I will post a longer more eventful chapter later but I felt this needed to stand on it's own to gain the full effect.

Again, thank you so much for the reviews! You don't know what they mean to me.

/

Allblue95

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The infirmary was almost completely dark, the only light coming from a cold lamp by the sink. The two people in the room were perfectly still in their positions, one due to unconsciousness, the other due to exhaustion and disappointment. Kiko's breathing was the same as it had been two hours ago, and Law's brain was struggling desperately with the fact that he'd caused this.

She was thin to the bone, unconscious and physically,and mentaly, hurt because of him. Because of his temper, because he was too eager in his pursuit to punish a possible traitor, a marine. He hated them with a fierce passion, and they had tried to infiltrate the Heart pirates before, but never gotten anywhere close. Law had assumed Kiko was one of them.

"_Never assume Law, it's no good. Never leads ye anywhere nice."_ He assumed. He thought that was a habit he'd outgrown by now. '_Apparently not' _. And Kiko was the one to suffer. Law looked up, seeing himself in the mirror across the room, his whole form almost completely drenched in shadow. Eyes traveling down they rested upon Kiko, her short black hair fanned out around her head on the pillow, her skin a deathly pale in the sparse light of the room, almost glowing in the otherwise dark room.

She'd now been unconscious for two weeks and four days and she still showed no sign of waking up. He had yet, for unknown reasons that continued to puzzle him, to leave her side, even for sleep. He'd taken the to sleeping on the second metal slab in the room, uncomfortable but it served it's purpose.

Finally having enough Law stood over her, tracing a finger down her hairline and down her chin, down her delicate throat, over the collarbone to lay a warm palm over where her heart would be. She looked so small, almost childlike, like this. Innocent. Removing his hand Law stepped outside and went to his quarters for a shower and bed. But not sleep, he highly doubted his mind would let him relax. Bepo followed his captains request and took his place to watch over her while he was gone.

XXX

Darkness, pain, worry, guilt, despair, darkness, cold, LIFE!

One deep breath and it all came crashing down, the memories resurfacing, the pain, the emotion. Something warm and soft and furry placed itself on her forehead, instantly calming her down. Breathing ragged Kiko pried her eyes open to be met by a pair of black beady ones. Bepo. Sweet sweet Bepo. But where was Law? Law. The name seemed to echo every time she thought it. The white bear seemed to understand her eye's silent question she had yet to actually voice.

"Law left here a few hours ago, to take a shower and sleep. You've slept for over two weeks, he's never left your side until now. " Kiko could only blink up at him as her muddled brain tried to take it all in. Her brow furrowed in confusion, this didn't make any sense. She was still alive, that much was for certain. But why? Why was she still alive? Had Law decided that it would be more painful for her to stay alive and suffer through whatever punishment he had in mind? But then why had he stayed at her side while she 'slept', as Bepo put it?

She was so into her thoughts that she didn't notice the bear had let go and disappeared out the door. Only when the light from the doorway was blocked by a tall and surprisingly hat-less stature did she come back to reality. His face was obscured in darkness and Kiko gulped tightly around her dry throat, trying to will her limbs to get her to move at least to the other side of the room. But her legs wouldn't budge, and he now took a step forward, then another, and another until he stood beside her, looming over her with his height. Raising a hand towards her she flinched, but he kept getting closer, Kiko closing her eyes awaiting the pain she was sure to come.

Soft big hands suddenly cradled her head and back and she felt her shaking chest meet his as he embraced her tightly, the hold soft but unyielding. Fingers threading through soft strands of hair he buried his eyes in her neck. Her hands finally waking to life they found his trademark hoodie, resting against it softly for a moment before suddenly clinging to it for dear life, her tears soaking his front.

"Captain"

"Miss Kiko."

"Just Kiko. Please."

"Kiko"


	12. Message from the author

Hello,

I am taking a minute to write this message. If this video has somehow escaped your notice, watch it! Here is the link. I felt compelled to pass this along so I'm passing it along to you guys, whoever you are who's reading this. Show everyone you know if they haven't seen this video, even if you find it misleading or doubt it, everyone should at least see it and make their own interpretations. Personally I'm not too sure if this is all bullshit or actually genuine, but it's still worth watching. That's all. I DO NOT want to start a whole debate about this video,that does not interest me, I merely wanted to pass it on becuse I felt like it.

.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc

As for my stories,I will update again, just be patient with me. :) I'm busy studying at the moment but soon, soon.

/Allblue95


	13. Chapter 13

We meet again, dear Readers!

So, and this is kind of sad, I haven't watched One Piece in quite a while. I realize I have missed a lot, I've heard rumors about Law becoming a somewhat questionable Warlord, I'll have to read up on that. But my point is that I don't know how accurate my story will be to that of Eichiro Odha's. We will see, but considering I'm writing a fan fiction I'm hoping you won't get too upset if I go on some more about The Heart Pirates in general and the dynamic between Kiko and Law. I can not promise for how long I will keep this story going but every now and then it finds it's way into my mind, tugging at my attention so I will write what I can come up with and hope you still like it.

This chapter goes out to all of you wonderful reviewers, and especially to hiragizawa who drew such a wonderful picture! I am so happy that so many like this story! Thank you everyone!

Now, Enjoy! :D

* * *

Anger. So much anger. Fury. Rage. It had been building slowly within Kiko, for years and years. Anger at her father, at her past in general, at all the people who helped turn her into what she was today, but mostly at herself. She was still so disappointed in herself for allowing such things to happen. For the past week it felt like all she could and would ever feel was cold blinding fury.

It had been three weeks since the letter incident. Kiko was slowly getting her strength back, spending most of her free time in the submarine's dojo. She was eating properly, Sam made sure of that, not leaving her alone until she ate everything that he put on her plate, and it was general knowledge that no one messed with Sam. The engines and hull was looking great but it's mechanic: not so much. Being locked up in the same room for weeks had messed severely with her mind, bringing up memories from her youth she had buried long ago. Or so she thought.

She knew Law could tell. Ever since the letter he had been unusually sparse in his normally plentiful inquisitions and Kiko knew that he was feeling either something akin to remorse, or he was simply respecting her space for a while for her to recover properly. _'You're actually thinking Law knows what Personal Space means? The man exists simply to prove that there is no such thing as Personal Space.'_

"Because god forbid if he had to find a new mechanic simply because I'm going bonkers. " She hit the punching bag at an especially vicious angle, her knuckles bruising slightly from the force she was using. Her pulse was high as if she had been running a marathon, the blood scorching her veins as she kicked and hit at the bag, which was near it's breaking point, as memories flooded her mind.

"If you keep that up you're the one that pays for a new one, you know that right? " Those smooth notes only belonged to one man, and Kiko turned to see Law leaning against the doorway, a scowl on his face. Kiko sighed and turned back to the bag, hitting a bit more gently now. " I need to get my strength back. " _'Could you come up with a more transparent lie please?'_ Her mind jabbed at her. She heard Law push off the doorway and walk closer.

" Is that really all this is? Simple training, not anger management? " He stopped beside her, watching her as she kicked up high. She remained quiet, whatever she said would only dig her a deeper grave. " You know, I have yet to see you make any more of those spinning kicks. Or was that once just a fluke? " He stepped closer, taking one of her hands to inspect her knuckles. At this he was graced with a glare, but this one was a bit more nervous. A small smirk rested on his lips, the mirth obvious in his eyes.

" It was just a fluke, cap, I wouldn't recommend you get your hopes up." That one kick so long ago was still one of the main reasons he knew she had an interesting past, very few could spin three laps in the air in less than a second, with barely any built up speed, and produce a kick at the end of it. Law let go of her hand.

Fifteen minutes went by in silence, the only sound coming from Kiko's harsh breathing and the noise her fists, legs and feet made against the punching bag. Law's patience was growing thin. If this behaviour would keep getting worse, as it had the last few weeks, it could put Kiko and the rest of the crew at serious risk if she got distracted while fighting. Law took a deep breath and moved before Kiko had time to comprehend what was happening.

The punching bag was knocked off it's hook by a powerful punch, sending it into the wall beside them, and Kiko's fist met Law's blocking forearm. She stumbled back slightly and Law used this to his advantage to advance, throwing punch after punch at her, forcing her to react. Soon she had enough of blocking and started fighting back, Kiko's attacks growing more and more desperate, moving faster and faster around each other in a now deadly dance. And then suddenly, just when he was about to force her into a corner, what Law had been waiting for, happened. With an impossibly agile twist Kiko spun several laps in the air, kicking Law in five very painful points in less than a second, and landed gracefully, her eyes shadowed by her wild dark hair. A sinister aura emitted from her as she stood perfectly still, ready to move, like a wounded predator waiting for the best moment to kill or flee. Law himself was forced to step back several paces from the force of the attack, but a malicious and yet ominously gleeful grin spread across his face. _'Progress.'_ Swift as a viper he attacked her again, this time using his stature and her almost animalistic mindset to grab her and after a quick scuffle pin her to the floor, her wrists in one of his hands held above her head and his other hand wrapped around her throat. For a moment all Kiko could do was scream in outrage and panic, like a trapped beast. She struggled for a bit until Law's voice reached past the barriers in her mind.

" Kiko! Kiko! It is only me! Kiko! Listen you stupid woman!" Her blue orbs finally focused on his gun-metal grey ones as she came back to herself. She read knowledge in those eyes. Not the wisdom that old men possessed, but an impossible knowledge of what was going on inside her head. Her whole body was taut as a harp string against the floor and the way Law had her pinned wasn't exactly comfortable either.

"I need you to calm down Kiko, can you do that?" Her heart was speeding, racing beneath his palm.

" Calm... calm down? Calm down?! You're the one that set me off you bastard! Do you have any idea of what you've done?! " Law's eyes narrowed. Kiko swallowed. _'Oh shit.'_ He closed his eyes for a few seconds, seemingly collecting himself, before looking at Kiko with an expression that all but severed Kiko's heart strings. His eyes held so many emotions at the same time that she wasn't even sure which to focus on. She could see his irritation, his own anger, directed not at her but at himself, and the sadness behind it all. Kiko had stilled completely, her body slacking completely, allowing his to relax somewhat in the process. One blink of his eyes and the emotion was gone, veiled by a calculative coldness.

" You can't fight like that Kiko, I won't allow it. And I don't mean you technique, it's your mind I'm worried about. " He could see the fire bristling up in her eyes but he cut her off, leaning down further to emphasize his point, their lips almost brushing as he spoke. " Your past overwhelms you, you are of no use on the battlefield if you can not control yourself enough to actually focus on who you are attacking. Had I been any other experienced Devil Fruit-used your mind would be too locked on the physical aspects and your survival instincts to think of protecting yourself against their power. In the end, you would be defenceless. You could hurt anyone when you are buried in memories, even one of your own crew. " Law stared at her with the most intensity anyone had ever observed her with before. Kiko looked anywhere but at him, her teeth worrying her lower lip in thought. She had never told anyone of her past, no one. It was a subject of Tabu, even for her own thoughts. Could she tell Law? He was her captain after all, didn't he deserve to know? But what would he do with that knowledge? Could she trust him enough not to judge her, throw her away or use her?

Her mind was racing but it was stopped abruptly by a big strong hand fitting around her jaw bone, turning her head and in the process her eyes back to his, locking them in his piercing gaze.

" You don't have to tell me immediately, I have some form of tact Kiko. However, I do wish you to start using your brain right away." His hand moved from her jaw and back to her throat, clutching it more harshly this time. " If I hold you down like this, how do you get out of it? Remember, I will not go so easy on you this time." Kiko's eyebrows were drawn together in confusion before realization hit her at the same time his hand closed around her wind pipe, effectively cutting off her access to the beloved necessity of life called oxygen.


	14. Chapter 14

I can't decide if I am telling this part of the story too early, but I can't hold it in anymore! It's got to come out of my head and onto the page and out to you guys. It simply won't stay out so you will have to just live with it! And I know it's all very emotional right now but Kiko is in a bit of an inner turmoil so it's got a purpose.

SO, this chapter sort of created itself and it seemed only fair to post it right away.

* * *

A small form peeked out form behind the tree, brown eyes surveying the distance between her and her attacker. Eyes narrowing she made to move. If she could just- "You need to be faster that that, miss Kiko." Too late she took off running, trying to escape behind a large boulder, but it was no use. She had been spotted! She closed her eyes as a smooth voice spoke "Room." and she knew she was doomed. Eyes opening she suddenly sprang up trying to escape him by using the leaf work to her advantage, skipping off of tree trunks while running her ass off. But as she was about to pass through some ferns she found herself running smack into Law's chest instead, making her topple backwards. But she realized quick what had happened and used the momentum to roll across her back and run in the opposite direction. Law's voice echoed throughout the dome he had created. " Kiiikooo... where are you? Hm?" It was as if he had snuck up on her and was whispering in her ear, like he would do whenever she was reading or even helping Sam with the dishes. _'His creepiness knows no bounds.'_

She could see the edge of the dome. So close! She was just about to pass through when she found herself swapped with a stone, landing her in the middle of the dome at Law's feet. Said man attempted to catch her, grab her, hit her. This was their training. Or well, her training and his game. They had been doing this for almost two days now, Kiko running about in the same small forest, trying to keep out of Law's way. A whole day and night! 2 bloody days! What does he know about training? _'Well, he Is one of the Supernovas, remember?'_ She sighed, covered by some big roots of an even more gigantic tree. Leaning back against the warm roots she took a few deep breaths. Before she screamed bloody murder when two languid arms snaked swiftly around her waist and chest, one hand finding purchase at her hip bone, the other at her shoulder, holding her flush against what proved to be a warm Chest. The smell of metal, disinfectant and something that was purely male closed around her, both calming and alarming her. She felt his breath fanning her neck and right ear as he leaned in. " Sshhhh. Be quiet. No sound. " Her hands had automatically grabbed his forearms, fingers testing the sinewy muscles there. Once she stopped screaming the forest became quiet again." Are you calm? " She nodded. " Good. Now, talk to me. " Immediately she started thrashing, desperate to escape, and for real this time. She knew what he wanted her to tell him and she couldn't allow it! He would simply turn her away like everyone else did!

The arms closed further around her. " Kiko! Calm down! Oi!" He turned her around, pulling her against his chest in more of a hug than a secure hold, one hand finding the back of her head, making it rest against his collar bone. She twitched a few times before realizing he wouldn't let go.

She could hear his heart from here. It was such a strong sound. Du-dum. Du-dum. Du-dum. Steady. Kiko focused on it, trying to imagine her own beating just as calmly. She felt him sit down and lean back pulling her with him until her legs were thrown sideways over his thighs so her side was leaning against his chest, his arms around her waist, unyielding. In her mind she knew how rare this was for him. She had never seen him let anyone this close, not even the bar flies that tried every opportunity they got. He didn't say anything more, he was waiting.

Finally, she started talking.

" My father was corrupt. A bureaucrat, a politician. Always making deals with anyone who would give him what he wanted. His company was very successful. I can't remember exactly what he worked with, he would never let me near his work.

He wanted a boy. An "heir". A Prize bull I think he said once, or something of the like. A strong healthy son whom he would teach to be the most powerful man in the world. And he got me. A girl. To him, I was as unintelligent as a mule. And equally useless for breeding. " Her voice hitched at the word breathing. She didn't see Law's eyes widen in confusion and worry. He struggled to keep his heart rate down, trying not to alarm her. He knew she would stop if he moved even an inch, probably interpreting it as rejection. Kiko continued.

" He was all about genes, my father. If you were related to him, you were your genes. And apparently, mine didn't please him. He always said I looked too much like my mother. I don't know what he meant with that, I never met her, nor do I know what happened to her. She is just...missing. " Confusion was evident in her voice. " Anyway, he decided he didn't have a daughter. And conveniently enough he owed a gang some money. A small enough sum that they would accept a little girl instead. And so, my father never had a daughter. No one came looking for me. No one missed me.

But the gang wasn't planning on killing me, raping me or anything nasty like that, at least not after I punched their leader straight in the mug. Broke his nose too. He laughed at me, blood gushing down his unshaved chin. From that moment on I had "spunk". It was they who taught me how to fight. But a gang isn't a suitable place for a little girl. Remember how I didn't really have any friends in my last town?" She felt Law nod. " Well, that is my own fault. I would never let anyone close. The gang didn't prepare me for the part of life called "social skills." It didn't help with the trust either when...when..." Kiko became lost in thought, trailing off to places unknown until Law's arms squeezed her closer. " When they uh... sold me. You see Mr. Law, everything in the world outside of your piracy consists of money. " her voice had become oddly stiff and cold. "Money is everything, especially in the underworld of organized crime. In the end, I was still considered the weakest link, so when they were forced to pin a job gone wrong on something, they picked me. Boss said it was nothing personal, but to me it was. He looked like my father that day, walking away with his back turned. And, since I wasn't exactly a flashy pirate with a big bounty I was sent to "work" for the World Nobles. I don't want to talk about that though. Not now, not yet. Possibly not ever... "

And there they sat, the two of them, the cold hearted pirate with a broken girl in his lap. Law sat stiff as a board, muscles tense as he struggled to control himself.

But Kiko was suddenly moving off of him, backing away with her head bent towards the ground, shoulders hunched as if protecting herself, legs now wobbly after all the running done the hours before. Law stared at her.

" Kiko? What are you doing?" He couldn't see her eyes.

" I'm sparing you the trouble. " Law stood up, utterly confused. And confusion was not one of Law's favourite emotions.

" What trouble? " Kiko swallowed, eyes downcast, silent. Waiting for the meaning to sink in. Law's eyes hardened. " You think I will abandon you, just like everyone before me has always done. You think me to be like them, hm? " She was backing away now, even as he stood stock still, frozen. " You think so badly of me Kiko? Do you really think so lowly of me? " His head was turned down too, eyes shadowed by the brim of his hat, and yet they seemed to be burning her. Law sighed, turning and walking away. Kiko was about to fall to the ground when he turned and called to her. " Are you coming?" She could only stand there and look at him. The fuzzy hat, his black hair and slight but excellently trimmed goatee, his black and yellow trademark shirt, those spotted pants and slightly heeled shoes. She offered him a small smile and jogged to catch up to him so they walked side by side.

When they reached the ship it was very quiet. It was still very early but it seemed almost too quiet when they stepped on board. Law opened the door to her, smiling a strangely secretive smile, gesturing for her to go in. " Ladies first." Kiko merely nodded at him, leaving the damp morning air for the warm cozy atmosphere inside. She was met by darkness, the heavy metal door closing behind her before the lightly suddenly turned on abruptly, followed by the cheers of her crew mates. She was showered with hugs and a large plate of delicious looking food, all kinds of drink and dessert waiting on the kitchen table. Bepo shoved through the crown in an uncharacteristic attempt at gaining her attention. He stooped before her, his beady eyes blinking at her exhausted form. He gently took the plate from her, placed it temporarliy in the hands of Penguin and then enveloped her in a huge hug, lifting her off the floor. " Thank god you're okay! Captain's methods are sometimes dangerous but I knew you would be alright! " He spun her around like a little girl who's finally gotten a puppy for her birthday. Kiko hesitated at first before hugging him back just as fiercely, tears streaming down her face, soaking into Bepo's white fur. Peeking over his shoulder she looked at all the laughing and smiling faces around her. She could hear Sam shouting that she must eat or she would probably die, _'Sweet overprotective Sam,'_ Penguin and Shachi whom were still cheering about her survival of Law's crazy training. Burying her face further in Bepo's fur Kiko cried, and for the first time, it was out of pure untainted happiness.

Law smiled at the scene, his crew had truly taken to her. But Law always needed to be one step ahead, and if that meant eating some cake, then take a quick shower and then start tracking down the man who never called himself Kiko's Father, then that's what he would do. He was the Surgeon of Death after all, a cool, collected and calculative man who protected the people he was resposible for. One of them had been hurt, and he'd rather be trapped in Impel Down for all eternity than to let such an act go unpunished.


	15. Chapter 15

A bit more cheery chapter. :)

* * *

" All I'm saying is, hot chocolate is tastier than tea, on ANY day! "

" No way, jose! Tea is the only way to go! "

" You're crazy! Tea over chocolate?! He's crazy! Right Sam? Agree with me on this, please!" Sam turned around from his pasta sauce and simply stared at her, blinking uninterestedly. She betted her eyelashes at him, perfectly aware of how silly she looked. " Pretty please?" After about two minutes he sighed. " Whatever you say, squirt. " and returned Kiko turned back to Penguin.

" Ha! Ha! See? Even Sam agrees, and he's the chef! " Penguin pouted, crossing his arms across his chest, slouching unhappily in his chair, mumbling defeatedly.

" I still think tea is better." But only moment after that his sullen look turned to malicious glee, his back straightening in a second. Kiko looked at him a if he'd grown a second head.

" What? What? Why the smugness all of a sudden? " She was starting to get worried. Penguin leaned back in his seat.

" I almost forgot, I was supposed to tell you that Captain was looking for you. He still insists that you need a full examination. " Kiko paled. She had been avoiding Law all morning. He wanted to perform a full body exam, it was necessary for his whole crew and since the letter incident and their training he wanted to make sure that she had recovered alright. Yes, he'd come close to seeing her naked before but never completely and the thought of allowing him to willingly simply made her blush and bristle. Penguin smirked as the blush crept onto her otherwise still pale cheeks, a look of realization crossing his features, or what was visible beneath that ridiculous hat.

" You have a thing for him, don't you?" Kiko's eyes snapped up to him.

" What?" Penguin laughed.

" Oh come on, don't play coy. " He lowered his voice slightly, leaning forward as if divulging a great secret. " You have a thing for the Captain." Kiko's blush deepened.

" I do not! " Penguin pointed at her accusingly.

" Then what's with the blush? Eh? And you don't sound that horrified, which someone who didn't have feelings for him would. So, you have a crush on the captain." He leaned back in his chair once more, nodding to himself, pleased with his discovery. He turned to Sam. " Am I not right Sam?"

" Whatever you say, shrimp." Sam looked more interested in the pasta sauce, considering if he should add more nutmeg or no.

" Ha! Am I right or am I right?" Kiko stared at him, speechless, before she stood up.

" You don't know what you're talking about, you silly little man. Now, I am late for an exam." Penguin laughed at her stiff back as she passed him.

" Lie all you want Kiko, for I know the truth! " Like it was some glorious treasure of a secret he had just unveiled. Kiko rolled her eyes and began the walk to the infirmary where she knew Law would be waiting, like a hangman at the gallows. _'Oh come on, it's not so bad. It's only a full body exam...oh, I get your anxiety.'_ She soon found herself outside the door, the red cross seemingly mocking her, taunting her to simply run the other direction and coop up in her room all day. But no, Law would eventually come looking for her and he seemed to have a talent for finding her. _'But what if I went somewhere else? Maybe Sam would let me hide in one of the kitchen cupboards...or maybe-'_ She hadn't realized just how long she had been standing there, hesitating, until the door in front of her opened and a tall body collided with her, sending her into the wall behind her. She shrieked in surprise, and would have tumbled further if two large tan hands had not grabbed her by the waist, pulling her against a broad chest, further disorienting her in the process. A dark chuckle emitted from the chest and Kiko looked up to see the mirth-filled grey pools of her captain. Penguin's words echoed in her head. _"You have a thing for the Captain!"_ She couldn't stop her eyes from traveling from his eyes to his cheekbones, his nose and finally to his lips before snapping up to his eyes again, swallowing at the curious look she found there.

" Thinking hard Kiko?" Said woman sputtered, trying to come up with a good response, failing miserably. She was too distracted by the hands still holding her against him. Law arched an eyebrow, now utterly confounded, Kiko could practically see the well oiled gears in his head working overtime as he tried to figure her out. She had no idea if he was succeeding. " It was good you showed up, I was just about to come looking you. " He stepped away from her, leading her inside with one hand on her lower back. _'I am so dead. I'm a goner. He's gonna practically feed on my nervosity.'_ She was sat on a metal bench, it was cold and Kiko shivered slightly in white cotton boiler suit, arms tied around her waist, and a tank top. She rarely wore the suits of the crew, preferring the fabric her old ones were made from, but today they were all in the washer, leaving her wearing the mark of the Heart Pirates.

" Cold miss. Kiko?" She snapped her gaze to him but as met with his back as he was preparing his instruments.

" I though we were past the "miss" - part? Captain?" Law turned and the smirk on his face send a more violent shiver down Kiko's spine, her whole body shiddering slightly. She felt her palms begin to sweat as his steel eyes ran over the length of her body, taking in the boiler suit as he leaned his back against the counter he had been working at, arms crossing over his chest. _'Toned chest...Argh! Shut up brain!'_. Kiko couldn't look away once his eyes locked with hers.

" Have I ever told you how much I enjoy seeing my mark on your body? _Kiko_?" Kiko flushed at his words, Law's smirk grew. " Do I make you uncomfortable?" He moved closer as he spoke, coming to stand in front of her, almost between her legs, his tall form towering over her. Kiko avoided his gaze, looking at the ceiling and the walls, suddenly interested in the jars resting on the shelves. Something was moving in one of them. Her attention snapped back to Law when his fingers grabbed her jaw, pulling her head to face his. " Say Ah." She rolled her eyes at him.

" Aaahhh." He shined a light down her throat for a moment before pushing up her jaw, closing her mouth. Law looked at her face for a moment, studying her not looking at him.

" You didn't answer my question. "

" Hm?" He leaned closer, his hands resting on the metal beside her hips, his face inches from hers once he stopped moving.

" Do. I. Make you. Uncomfortable? Kiko?" His voice was but a whisper but the words still rung clear in his smooth voice. Her eyes snapped back to him when he said her name and he watched her pupils dilate. She swallowed and gnawed on her lip.

" N-no. No you don't make me uh, uncomfortable." Law's spiderlike fingers snatched her jaw when she began to look away from him once more.

" Really now? Eeh? So I don't make you nervous?" His fingertips lightly stroked a path down her cheek, around to the back of her ear and down her throat. She shook her head no. Kiko felt his fingers suddenly press into her skin more firmly and she realized all too late that he was taking her pulse! It didn't help her situation that it was pretty much speeding. She looked up at him swiftly, panic spreading in her eyes as his grin extended something maliciously. For once he looked exactly like the thing he really was: a predator, hell bent on catching his prey. And he looked like he just caught it. Like he was just about to sink his teeth into it.

" No..." Her voice sounded weak even to her own ears and she didn't notice her right hand fisting tight in his shirt.

" No? Then why is your heart pounding like it's going to jump out of your chest, Kiko? Are you lying to your captain? " She bit her tongue, literally, to keep in the whimper that threatened to escape. He was so very close, in every way! Dangerously close to a truth Kiko herself had just come to realize. Something was coiling up dangerously in her belly, something unbearably hot.

" I-I'm not lying Law." She realized what she'd said a millisecond later but by then his lips was already assaulting hers, prying and teasing at the seam of the pink skin. It was gentle yet violent, smooth but sharp, and Kiko found her hand dragging him closer by his shirt. His left hand pulled her right leg firmly around his waist, her left following out of instinct, before snaking around her waist to pull her flush against him, his large right hand buried in her messy ink-black hair.

Law's teeth found her lower lip, biting sharply before sucking on it, eliciting a sudden moan out of the short woman. He pulled away for a moment to simply look at her, his eyes burning, searing, into her. She caught his devilish smirk and smiled back shyly, her breath rapid after the kiss, something that seemed to satisfy the tall captain immensely. After another nip at her lip his tongue swiftly demanded entrance and ravaged her mouth, delving into every crevice, tasting her thoroughly, while holding her hips to his possessively. She felt it prod against the roof of her mouth, sliding across the rows of white teeth, and stabbing at her own tongue to entice it to movement. She in turn had her fingers buried in his thick dark hair, nails scraping his scalp and pulling on it every now and again, an especially hard yank earning her a deep growl, a primal sound that seemed to resonate from somewhere deep inside him and spreading through both their bodies.

Law's mouth moved from hers but latched onto her throat instead, kissing gently at first, lulling her into a fake sense of security. It was working if her sigh was anything to go by, before he bit down harshly, making her let out a squeal before moaning when he laved his tongue over the red imprint of his teeth. Her nails dug into his flesh through the cloth at his upper arms, leaving small crescent shapes in his mocha skin.

His hips stuttered against hers once, twice, and her back arched at the feeling, throwing her head back at the intensity of the feeling, a groan escaping from her throat. She could feel his hardness pressing into her already and she heard and felt him growl when she experimentally pressed her groin to his. Her hands found their way inside his shirt, feeling the rippling muscles of his back before lightly dragging her nails down the skin covering his ribs. The move was met with a snarl as she suddenly passed over an area of scarred tissue. His hand that was buried in her hair yanked her head back, holding it in place as he surveyed his work, distracting her from the feel of the scars. Kiko saw his eyes shining as he took in her bruised lips, ragged breathing and the now angry red mark he himself had made on her neck. He smirked evilly when she let out an impatient whine, clearly frustrated.

He was about to lean down to nibble on her left earlobe when they heard footsteps approaching, two voices talking animately about something. Law growled and bit into the red mark on her neck once more, making sure that it definitely wouldn't be disappearing any time soon. Kiko shuddered but raised an eyebrow in question.

" Your own _personal_ mark?" Law grinned at her, a pleased look in his eyes.

" I told you, I like to see my mark on your body. You are no less than mine. " He yanked one last time on her hair to emphasize his point before he moved away from her, back to a respectable distance (which didn't mean far since a "respectable" distance in Law's head was noticeably smaller than for any other more sane person, or someone with less talent for pissing people off).

When the door to the infirmary opened Law was in the process of listening to Kiko's pulse through a stethoscope, grey eyes locked on a watch he held in his hand. The intruders came in the form of Bepo and Demitri.

" Sorry to interrupt captain, but Demitri burned his hand on the engine." Kiko's eyes snapped up to Demitri.

" What were you doing with my engine, you idiot?" Law arched an eyebrow.

" **Your** engine, Kiko?" She looked at Law sheepishly and when their eyes met Law smirked as Kiko's heartbeat picked up.

" Well, yours, okay, but I'm the one who takes care of it! No one else in this hunk of metal knows how to handle it. " Demitri grumbled in defeat, Bepo answered for him.

" He thinks you're right. He wanted to see if you'd left any tools for him to steal. " Demitri looked up at Bepo outraged.

" Traitor!" Bepo hung his head, a depressed aura hanging over him.

" I'm sorry. " Law interrupted the quarrel.

" Bepo, you have nothing to be sorry for. As for you Demitri, there is some salve in that cupboard. And I would recommend you stop attempting to steal our mechanics tools, considering she is the one keeping us all alive. It is also a matter of personal health, I will not save you from miss Kiko's wrath if she catches you. " Kiko smirked triumphantly, poking her tongue out at Demitri. Said man grumbled but still smiled at the childish gesture, it had been a long time since she had acted so freely around any of them. Law had removed the stethoscope and was leaning his head in his hand, also watching the woman with relaxed fascination. He seemed equally surprised.

Demitri and Bepo soon left, leaving Law and Kiko alone once more. He looked at her,brushing his fingers over the mark on her neck, his fingers tangling in the strands of hair hanging behind her ear. Kiko slowly let her fingers travel up to his chin, smiling as she felt it's texture. Both her hands brushed over his face until they reached his hair, fingers running through dark tendrils. Law closed his eyes, resting his forehead on her shoulder as he inhaled her sent. One of Kiko's hands rested on his neck, feeling the tension slowly slip out of his muscles as his arms wound around her.


End file.
